


leather sleeves and paper leaves

by oceansideeyes



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Awkward Interruptions, Confessions, Consensual Underage Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Flirting, Heavy Angst, Lesbian Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lies, Minor Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Opposites Attract, Relationship Issues, Scars, Teasing, Teenage Drama, Vaginal Fingering, a little mileven (not much i promise), all the teenagers are close friends (except jonathan bc he's not there), billy is dead, broken trust, deep post-sex conversations, film junkie & bookworm, max has a traumatic past, max's mom is a psychatrist, mike and max almost throw hands, old nicknames, post-break up comfort, teenage parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 00:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20957384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansideeyes/pseuds/oceansideeyes
Summary: "Hey boys," she said, grinning smugly. "Nice party, Wheeler."Mike rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?" He glared at Max, who was smirking devilishly."Can't I enjoy a party, Wheeler?" She toyed, letting Lucas's arm on her shoulder drop as she approached Mike. "Are you worried that I'm going to steal Jane from you?"





	leather sleeves and paper leaves

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in the works for a long time! sorry it took so long! i added some scenes i hadn't planned on originally, so it took longer than i intended! if you have any advice, please leave it in the comments! i'm always looking for ways to improve!

One day can change everything. The lives of Max Mayfield and Jane "El" Hopper would never be the same after Mike Wheeler's party to kick off the new school year. The party was at the Wheeler house after Ted and Karen went out, and Nancy left to babysit her sister along with some other kids. Mike invited everyone he knew, and they all told everyone they knew to come too. The whole school (at least Mike's class) showed up to the party, ready to let loose before school started again. Max hesitated to go, as her brother was a giant douchebag to the kids. Lucas (as a friend of hers) invited her to come, telling her that no one knew they were siblings except for him. He had tried to hit on Max, but she shut him down immediately, confessing that she wasn't attracted to him or any guy for that matter. He accepted that; the modern world was full of changes, and this was one of them.

The party came around, and Max reluctantly showed up. She nervously fiddled with the zipper on her leather jacket, hesitating to talk to anyone. Lucas spotted her and waved her over, smiling happily. "Hey, Mayfield!" The redhead walked straight towards Lucas and the boys in the kitchen as they chatted about movies. "Max, here is the film trivia _master,"_ Lucas bragged, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Max's shoulders slumped into Lucas's, her arms crossed defensively. "Aren't you, Max?" Lucas was beaming as Max rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am, idiot." A small smile spread across her face. "Hey boys," she said, grinning smugly. "Nice party, Wheeler."

Mike rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?" He glared at Max, who was smirking devilishly.

"Can't I enjoy a party, Wheeler?" She toyed, letting Lucas's arm on her shoulder drop as she approached Mike. "Are you worried that I'm going to steal Jane from you?"

"No!" Mike shouted defensively. The whole room turned to look at him, confused as to why he was yelling. "Sorry." He shifted his gaze back to Max. "Why would I be worried about you stealing _my girlfriend,_ Mayfield?" Will, Lucas, and Dustin spotted the tension from a mile away.

"I don't need to steal your girl, I'm here to enjoy a party. It seems like you're insecure, though." Mike searched for a response, but none came. Soon after, a girl with brown hair, tied in a bun and glasses on her nose entered the kitchen. She took her place next to Mike at the counter.

"Hey El," Mike said, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist.

"Stop it," she scolded. "El is a stupid nickname from when we were younger, can you please just call me Jane?" In her hands was a book, the same book she had been reading when Max walked into the house. "Who is this?" she asked, pointing at Max.

"I'm-" Max started to respond when Mike cut her off.

"-leaving. She's leaving." He tried to push her out the door, but Jane stopped him.

"Let her stay," she spoke up, curious to talk with this girl in a leather jacket - something her father would never let her wear. Mike hesitated, but saw Jane's persistent stare and caved. Max gave Mike a cocky half-grin, gloating a little. "Come with me," Jane commanded, taking Max by the hand.

"Sure," Max replied, sticking her tongue out at Mike as Jane pulled her away. They entered the living room, which was swarmed with people where they could barely hear each other. They tried to talk, but nothing could be heard over the excessively loud music. Jane decided that they needed to go upstairs, and so she led Max to a room upstairs - coincidentally, it was Mike's room - so they could talk without being interrupted or having to yell. They sat on Mike's bed, chatting happily. "That's how you met Mike and the boys?" Max asked, laughing. "That's seriously badass. That's how you got the nickname El, isn't it?"

"It is, and I hate it," the brunette sighed, laughing as she did so. "It's really dumb, but those guys hold a special place in my heart. I don't know what I'd do without them." She smiled, laying back on the bed. "Your outfit is really nice, by the way."

"Thanks," Max blushed. "Your outfit is pretty killer too."

"Killer?" She cocked her head in the cutest way you can imagine. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

Max laughed softly, her hand landing on Jane's as she leaned forward in her laughter. "No, you really need to get your head out of books more." She wiped her eyes, smiling wildly. "Have you ever seen a movie? Or something you can't find from books?"

Jane shook her head. "I only read books. My dad only lets me read books."

"Really?" Max's eyes went wide with curiosity.

"Yeah, he's really strict on that sort of thing. I like books, though, so I don't mind." Jane shrugged gently.

"I don't know how you do it. Books are so dull when there are so many action movies to choose from. I only read books when I'm forced to for school." Max leaned back and sat against the headboard, her posture breathing confidence.

"Books aren't dull!" Jane defended. "If you gave them a chance, maybe you'd see that they're great!"

"I would, but the movies interest me more, what can I say?" Max studied Jane, noticing her intense stare at her outfit. "Like what you see?" Jane tore her eyes away and blushed a light shade of red. "Sorry if I'm coming on strong. From my perspective, you're clearly interested-" Jane interrupted, her lips locking with Max's. The kiss was soft but intentional, shutting the rest of the world out.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Mike was pacing about the kitchen because he couldn't find Jane and Max. Lucas, Will, and Dustin all rolled their eyes. "What are you so worried about?" Lucas asked, leaning over the counter to try to stop Mike from his relentless pacing.

"You know Max," Mike snapped. He rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair. "Do you not see what's going to happen!?"

"What's the problem?" Will questioned, snacking on some pretzels that were sitting out. "They're probably just talking. Why are you so worried?"

"I know the type of girl that Max is, and I'm sure that she's making moves on El as we speak." The other three rolled their eyes again and tried to reassure Mike that the girls were probably just talking.

Unfortunately for Mike, he was right. Jane and Max were sitting on his bed with the doors closed, a passion neither of them had ever felt filling the air. Mike decided at that time that he'd start searching for Jane, not intending on opening the door to his own room until he found the door closed. He swung the door open wildly, startling both girls to the point that they moved away from each other. "What the hell were you two doing in here?" Mike shouted, his face switching from confusion to pure, unadulterated anger. He spun on Max. "You did this, didn't you?"

Max threw her hands up in defense, trying to leave the room. Mike wouldn't let her. "Listen, I know I'm not your favorite person, but I swear that I'm not a homewrecker."

"Then why were you kissing my girlfriend?" He demanded, grabbing Max by the collar. Jane stood up and placed her hand on Mike's forearm. "What are you doing?"

"She didn't kiss me first," Jane confessed, adjusting her glasses uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Mike..." He let go of Max and pushed Jane's hand off his arm as he stormed downstairs. Lucas, Will, and Dustin were all standing outside the room, shocked by the revelation they just witnessed. Max made eye contact with all of them before running downstairs and out the front door. Lucas sighed and ran after her, leaving Jane, Dustin, and Will outside Mike's room. Dustin saw Will's sympathetic glances at Jane and took his leave so the two could talk without him in the room. He searched for Mike while the dust started to settle post-chaos.

Max had hopped on her skateboard, but Lucas was able to catch up to her when he sprinted. He stopped in front of her, blocking her path. "Max, stop!" He exclaimed, and she did, but barely before she hit him. "I know what happened back there was chaotic, but we need to talk about it."

"What's there to talk about?" She snapped. "Mike thinks I'm a homewrecker, and his girlfriend is probably going to go crawling back to him. Why do we need to talk, Lucas?"

"The three of you are all just confused, okay? We need to talk about it. Please come back." Lucas's eyes pleaded, begging Max to go with him. She reluctantly caved and followed him back.

When they arrived in the house again, both Jane and Mike stood up, having been in a serious conversation. Mike was glaring daggers and Max, but Jane held out her hand, offering an olive branch. "So," Mike began, "El started telling me what happened between you two."

"Can you drop El?" Jane snapped, crossing her arms. Mike nodded.

"Sorry," he cleared his throat, "Jane was telling me what happened, and I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." Max nevertheless remained defensive, not sure what to make of the situation. "You still don't trust me. That's understandable."

"You were about to punch me based on what? I understand it hurts to see your girlfriend kissing someone else. You were right to be mad, but you went and assumed that it wasn't mutual. You made the assumption that because I'm a lesbian, I'm predatory." Max hadn't sat down, and she was thankful for that. "Your assumption was wrong, but it stings. You thought that it was my fault. What the hell kind of person does that, Wheeler?" She shoved the chair before walking off to somewhere else in the house. Mike stood up to follow her, but both Jane and Lucas held him back.

"Let _me_ go," Jane whispered, knowing that Max would talk to her more than him. "I'll talk to her, alright?" Mike sighed, nodding, and stopped trying to run after Max. Jane quickly caught up with Max, falling in step as they walked in silence. The former eventually spoke up, swallowing any fear she had. "Hey," she whispered, staring at the ground in front of her.

"What do you want?" Max replied, not angry, but tired. Pure exhaustion echoed throughout her voice.

"Mike's really sorry that he made you feel the way you do about him," Jane informed, trying to get Max to slow down.

"He should've told me himself then," Max retorted, a little anger rising in her. She sped up her pace to shake Jane off her path.

"He didn't want to make you angrier," Jane continued, speeding up to stay close to Max.

Abruptly, Max stopped dead in her tracks. "Why did you do it?" Jane stopped seconds later, staring at Max in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Max rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Playing innocent, huh?" She shook her head. "I knew it. You're going to act like it didn't happen."

"Max, I don't understand," Jane interjected, confusion consuming her expression. "What did I do?"

"What _I_ don't understand is why you kissed me when you have a perfectly good boyfriend. What was the point of ruining your relationship with him? He seems decent when he's not a major douchebag." Max deeply stared in Jane's eyes. "You don't like him anymore, do you?" Jane looked away. "You don't know if you ever loved him. That's what you're asking yourself, right?"

"How would you know that?" Jane analyzed Max, wondering how this girl whom she had barely met could know so much about her.

"I've been there. Whatever this is, you're allowed to feel it. You owe that to yourself, Jane. I don't want to come in and mess up everything you've already done, though," Max sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry. I should tell you that my mother is a psychologist. I've learned a lot about the mind from my mother's talks about her work." A silence settled, leaving both girls uncomfortable.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jane piped up, still staring at the ground.

"Sure," Max replied hesitantly.

"Why are you so defensive?" Jane blurted out. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just confusing to see you get so defensive over who you are. You snapped at Mike earlier, and I'd like to know why."

"It's a long story, I really don't think you want to hear it," Max muttered, brushing off the question.

"Why won't you tell me? I'm not asking to barge into your life, I just want to know more about you." The world stood still as the question echoed in the atmosphere. The breeze fell noiseless, the clouds covered the sun, everything got darker, more severe.

Max took a few steps toward Jane as the wind started to pick up again. "The last relationship I had ended poorly, alright? Wheeler is probably your first boyfriend, so you wouldn't understand. Some people get into relationships, okay? They think it's going to be everything they've ever wanted. Everything is rosy and beautiful until you discover that the person you're dating is seeing someone else. This is what we call cheating."

"Why would someone do that?" Jane asked, completely appalled, "Is that what happened to you?" Max nodded.

"Yeah, it is. I've avoided commitment since then, but it's been easy because I know my brother would give me absolute hell for being the way I am in our house." Max scoffed again, trying to hold back the tears. "What you're about to hear is top secret, okay?" Jane nodded. "You promise?" She nodded again. "Okay, you're the first person I'm about to tell this story to, so I'm trusting you. So, I was looking for my brother, why I don't even know anymore, but I was looking around the house for him and couldn't find him. Of course, the last place I checked was his room, but the door was closed, so I assumed that he just didn't want anyone in there. Little did I know that he was in there and that I shouldn't have even thought about opening the door. I knocked on the door, but the music he was blaring was so _loud,_ so I assumed he didn't hear me." Max paused, taking a deep breath. "I pushed open the door and found my brother in bed with his co-worker. They were both lifeguards at the public pool by our house. I recognized her from my pool visits, but this was something I _never_ wanted to see. My brother, being the asshole he is, noticed me and started shouting at me, but what he said was too rude to recite. I immediately closed the door and ran back to my room, terrified because I had accidentally intruded on something I hadn't meant to. Later that night, my brother entered my room, smirking with that evil smirk he had." Jane didn't know where the conversation was going, but she was sure it was going to end with one or both of them crying. "He screamed at me, calling me a pervert for opening the door. He called me 'gay' and pushed me around. He scolded me and told me to never do it again before leaving." The silence became deafening as the wind circled around them. "After that, I shut myself down. I refused to think about anything related to that night, fearing that if I did, everyone would turn on me.

"Max, I'm so sorry," Jane mumbled, rubbing her own arm nervously.

"Don't be," Max continued, "after Billy's death, it wasn't the same. Why would it be? My mother and Billy's father, Neil, divorced, Neil moved out of Hawkins, and we never saw him again. Once I discovered who I was, I told my mother. She was more than okay with it, which was great news, considering the exposure I had to it before. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad for me. I'm telling you this so that you understand why I'm so defensive. I'm trying to get better about it, but it's taking more time than I would like." Jane reached out and held Max's hand softly.

"I'm here for you, Max," she whispered, smiling reassuringly. "We can both get through this, it's just a matter of time. My feelings for Mike are so confusing and unnecessarily messy, but if you would be willing to help me, we could probably figure them out together. Would you mind helping me?"

"Not at all, but maybe not out here in the windy weather. It's a little chilly, and I'm covered in goosebumps." Jane chuckled softly, nodding as she led Max back to the house. Everyone else was long gone, leaving Dustin, Will, Jane, Max, Lucas, and Mike alone in the house - only for a brief time. Max and Jane had just entered the dining room when four high school graduates burst into the house. Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan all fell into a heap after Steve managed to _finally_ unstick the front door - Jane and Max entered from the back - noticing that the room was dead silent.

"Uh, hey," Steve awkwardly mumbled from the bottom of the pile, barely able to breathe. "What happened to the party?"

"Mike and Jane are having relationship problems," Dustin sighed, helping Steve up from under the other three. "You don't want to know."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Makes sense." He turned and helped Robin up, leaving her to brush herself off. A few seconds later, Barb pushed open the door to the Wheeler house, stopping in front of Nancy.

"Hey, babe," Nancy said, reaching her arms up to wrap around Barb's neck. "Took you long enough to get here."

"I just got off work, Nance," Barb teased. "I got here as fast as I could." She looked around, noticing the tension that the rest of them ignored. "How about we all head somewhere else because it seems like we intruded upon something, yeah?" The intense glare being shot from Mike to Nancy and her friends was deadly, and they took their leave. The dust settled in the room again as everyone fell silent, and Mike scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Hey, Jane," he mumbled, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for freaking out the way I did."

"No, you had every right to freak out like that," she replied, "I'm sorry about what happened." The silence resumed, the entire environment falling stiff.

"What do we do now?" Mike asked, not making eye contact with anyone.

"The logical step is break up," Will stated monotonously. "If Jane needs time to figure out what happened, you need to give her space, Mike. However, I don't think she's the only one who needs to sort out feelings." Will's soft expression hardened as he finished, crossing his arms slightly.

Jane glanced at Will and then back at Mike. "What is he talking about?" Mike sighed, shaking his head.

"It wasn't supposed to happen, I promise, I would never do anything to hurt you-" Mike's plea was cut short by Max interjecting.

"You kissed Will, didn't you?" She concluded in disbelief. "The only difference between what happened today and what happened then was that Jane didn't catch you." Max shook her, entirely dumbfounded. "You had the audacity to get so pissed at Jane for kissing me when you cheated before she had even thought about it."

"It's not like that!" He attempted to defend, reaching out to grab Jane's arm. Instinctively, Jane pulled away. "Jane, listen to me, it was an accident, heat of the moment kind of stuff. You have to believe me!"

"I don't have to do anything," she spat, shooting daggers at him. "I dump your ass." Jane spun on her heel and stormed out of the house, not knowing where she was going but knowing she had to leave. Dustin, Lucas, and Max all stared at each other in disbelief. Will rolled his eyes as Mike stomped his way up to him.

"You just _had_ to say something, didn't you!?" Mike pushed Will back, livid. "You couldn't just live without telling her, huh?"

"You did the same thing to her that she did to you, and you can't just live a lie," Will reprimanded. "You needed to come clean, and you didn't, so I did it for you. You can't suppress a significant part of who you are." His face softened again. "I know you felt something that day. You can't just pretend like it didn't happen." Mike sighed, stepping away.

"I hate to admit it, but you're right," he confessed. "Max, can you go after Jane?" Max nodded and left immediately, leaving the rest of them to their own devices. "I'm sorry I didn't want to admit it. I was trying to hide it because I'm insecure. I'm not sure who I am anymore, and that's what scares me." Dustin and Lucas sat down after sharing a look, motioning for Mike to sit down.

"Have a seat," Dustin said, calling Will over as well. "Both of you." Will reluctantly took a seat next to Mike, and the four of them began to deep dive into the psychology within them - if only Max had been there, she could've helped. She was busy chasing down Jane, who hadn't gone too far.

"Hey!" Max called, running after her. "Jane! Stop!" She stopped, turning to look at Max.

"What? Did _Mike_ send you out here?" Jane spat, her head reeling. "I really don't want to talk about what happened in there. It's all a lot to process right now."

"You don't have to talk about it, Jane. I'm not asking you to talk to me," Max replied, lacing her fingers through Jane's. "I'm just letting you know I'm here for you. Mike's got his own issues to work out. I'm here for _you,_ babe." Their eyes met, and for a moment, the rest of the world disappeared. Sadly, the moment was interrupted all too soon.

"Jane? Max?" Dustin called from the house, leaning out the door. "Mike has something he needs to tell you both!" Max scanned Jane's face, searching for the reaction that Jane had had, but there wasn't one.

"Let's go," Jane muttered monotonously, dropping Max's hand as she beelined for the house. Max couldn't even keep up with her, so she gave up trying.

Inside, Mike was pacing as his heart pounded through his chest. "What if she gets mad at me?" Mike asked, not looking for an answer.

"She's already mad at you, idiot," Will answered, rolling his eyes.

"That was a rhetorical question!" Mike and Will glared at each other until Dustin came in and split them up.

"It doesn't matter now," Dustin stated, pushing the boys away from each other. "What matters is that you make it right now." The door creaked open, and Jane, followed by Max, entered the room. The room became still as the tension was unbelievably thick. "Thanks for coming back, El." Jane crossed her arms and stared at Mike expectantly.

Mike cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I... I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you. I know I shouldn't hide things from you, but I knew you'd get mad at me if I told you -"

Jane shook her head, sighing. "I'm not mad because you kissed him. I'm upset because you lied to me by not telling me about it. When we started our relationship, we started it based on trust and honesty. When did we start lying to each other?"

"I don't know; when did you start kissing other girls?" Mike snapped, anger rising again. Jane glared at him, her face entirely disgusted.

"I never thought you'd be this much of an asshole," she spat. "My father was right to keep me away from you. Your apology was shitty, so I don't forgive you. Your biggest concern in this is that I'm not just yours. Yeah, I shouldn't have kissed her while dating you, but my biggest mistake was even dating you in the first place." She huffed, trying to calm herself down, but it didn't work. "I don't even know who I _am_ anymore! Does that even matter to you!?"

"You're El! You're my girlfriend!" Mike shouted, running his hands through his hair.

"No!" Jane screamed in response. "I'm _not_ your girlfriend anymore! I still want to be friends, Mike, but not like this. We can't be friends like this. I'm sorry that I kissed her while we were dating, but I'm not sorry about how I feel about it." She turned and looked at Max, holding out her hand. "I'm going to head home, and Max is coming with me. When you finally understand that I don't belong to you and that I don't have to be in love with you, you talk to me. Until then, stay _away_ from me, Mike Wheeler." Max and Jane left Mike's house, changing the status quo.

A few days passed, and Mike was still trying to sort out everything that was happening in his head. Max and Jane spent those days watching all the classic movies since Max was basically living with Jane and Hopper. Her mom was consumed with work, so much so that she'd sometimes forget to feed Max. Hopper offered to send her mother a stern talking to about it, but Max told him not to. "If you ever need anything, kid, you know where to find us," Hopper smiled, patting Max's shoulder.

"Thank you, sir," Max said, returning the smile. He left her to head back to Jane's room, who was anxiously awaiting the company. "Hey, sorry, I got side-tracked by your dad and -"

"I really like you," Jane muttered, losing the filter she had wanted to keep. "I've talked to Mike about it, and he says that it's for the best that we break up."

"I'm sorry to hear that -" Max tried to comfort, but Jane wasn't done.

"No, it was mutual." Jane reached out and let her hand fall down Max's arm. "We both like other people and decided that we should explore whatever it is we feel." The stare Jane was giving Max was something she had never seen before.

"What about your dad? Does he know?" Max asked, trying to slow down the intensity of the situation.

"He does," Jane eased, closing the distance between them. "It'll be alright. What he doesn't know won't hurt him..." Her fingers lingered on Max's stomach. "What do you say, Max?"

Max's face flushed, breaking eye contact with Jane. She knew what she should do and what she wanted to do were two different things. "Jane, I don't think this is a good idea -"

"Don't deny it, Max," her voice slipped into one that made Max's stomach flutter, "you don't want to turn me down."

"Even if that is the case, I don't want you to do something you'll regret." Max took a step away from Jane, trying to reason with her. She knew how nervous Jane was, as her hands were shaking. "I don't want to be someone you hate because you thought this was a good idea."

"This _is_ what I want. I don't know what you're on about." The plea in Jane's eyes, as well as the perfect placement of her hand on Max's thigh, was enough to make the stubborn redhead cave. Jane was still nervous about this, but it was decided. Max sighed shakily, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"This is a horrible idea, but what the hell. I can't say I don't want this." Max was nearly against a wall, and Jane used that to her advantage. She pressed her lips against Max's, letting the latter's back slam against the wall. Max's hands instinctively attached to Jane's brown hair, soft to the touch. The lighting in the room dimmed from old lightbulbs fading, but neither of them really cared.

From the chair in the living room, Hopper heard the slamming against the wall and decided to go check on the girls. He knocked on the closed door and shouted, "Are you girls alright in there? I heard a loud crash."

A muffled "Yeah, Max just tripped, but she's alright" came from Jane inside the room. Hopper was satisfied and replied, "Alright, I'll be here if you need anything!" He went back to his chair and left the girls to their own devices.

Inside, Jane and Max both sighed a sigh of relief. "Sorry about him," Jane laughed nervously. "He's protective."

"I know," Max whispered, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to get to the good stuff now?" Jane's eyes lit up with a playful fire that got both of them excited, but still nervous. The passion from before returned, neither of them wasting any time. Max's hands cupped Jane's cheeks, trying to pull her face closer. Jane's hands, on the other hand, were pretty much everywhere else, running up and down Max's body.

Jane pulled Max to her bed without breaking the kisses, pushing her down. She leaned over Max a little, whispering in a hushed tone, "Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah," Max breathily replied, her voice wavering. Jane took Max's hand, sitting beside her. Max's breathing started racing, and she started losing vision. Jane was trying to talk to her, but nothing was going through until Max felt her hand squeezed. Jane stared at Max, holding her hand and scanning her face for any explicit expressions.

"If you aren't comfortable with this, just say something, okay? I promise you're in safe hands." She pressed a kiss to Max's forehead. "This your first time?"

"It's not yours?" The redhead stared at the brunette, stunned.

Jane avoided Max's eyes. "It wasn't my idea most of the time," she confessed. "Mike is the one who always wanted to, and I never turned him down. I freaked out my first time too, but you'll be alright, I'm here for you. If you ever want me to stop, just tell me, alright?"

Max nodded, regaining control of her breathing pattern. She grabbed Jane's shoulders and dragged her closer, smashing their lips together. Jane was more than ready to get a taste of all that Max was, so she tugged at the bottom of Max's shirt, lifting it up with ease. Max let Jane toss it onto the floor with a soft plop. Jane was busy working on the rest of Max's outfit while Max was getting a little upset. She pulled Jane's hand away for a second, meeting the other's eyes. "Am I the only one stripping tonight, or are you going to join me?" Max asked with a playful wit about her.

Jane smirked, pulling her turtleneck over her head painfully slowly, at least to Max anyway. Both of them were giggling giddily, smiling at each other. Skin slid against skin, adding friction to the mix of everything else. Max was taking in all she could as she saw Jane's bare body, but before she could soak it up, Jane wrapped her arms around Max's back and pressed soft kisses to her neck. Max's eyes grew wide, biting her lip hard. The kisses became hotter and more desperate, some leaving marks on Max.

Jane trailed down to the collar bone, nibbling on it. Max ran her hands through Jane's hair, her fingers trembling excitedly. Jane wasn't patient anymore. She slipped off Max's bra straps, unclipping the back as she threw it aside. "Are you okay?" Jane asked, acknowledging Max's feelings.

"I'm more than okay, Jane," Max replied huskily, pulling Jane in for a kiss. "If something happens, I'll tell you." She kissed her again. "Less talking," Max whined, pressing her body against Jane's.

"Alright, alright," Jane laughed, rolling her eyes. "For someone who's never had sex, you sure are needy."

"I'm allowed to be needy!" She defended. "You're the one who's leaving me hanging here." The brunette chuckled, placing a finger on Max's lips.

"Don't be too loud, my dad is right next door." Jane had plans for Max, but she decided to abandon them when she got needy herself. She all but ripped off Max's underwear, leaving her entirely naked. Jane slowly pushed one finger into Max, analyzing the reaction. Max's eyes squeezed shut, and Jane stopped, thinking she had hurt Max, but the latter thrust her hips at the former, indicating otherwise. Jane continued to push, starting to find a rhythm as small gasps escaped Max's lips. She added a second finger, starting slowly again. Light moans filled the air as Max began to lose herself in the moment.

Jane wasn't satisfied. She slipped a third finger in there, working up a sweat as she sped up her rhythm. Max's moans increased in volume and followed in sequence, one after the other. Max's eyes closed, but before she climaxed, Jane immediately stopped. Max whimpered, quivering until Jane's touch. She lifted her head up to see what was happening when she had a jolt of electricity shoot through her. Jane's tongue was working its magic, and Max relinquished all control over her body, her hips swinging towards Jane's face.

After a few minutes of Max's attempted self-control, she hit her high and had Jane help her ride it out. Both of them were incredibly sweaty, but Jane finished up between Max's legs and started laying on top of her, caressing her stomach to help her become grounded again. "How was that for your first time?" Jane teased, smirking.

"Fantastic, but we're not done yet," Max retorted, a devilish glint beaming in her eyes. "It's my turn now, babe, and you're not ready to see what I can do." Max rolled the two of them over, not holding anything back.

After that, without any interruptions, Max and El were lying in El's bed together. Out of the blue, Max asked, "Does this mean that we're dating now?"

El snorted, smiling against Max's back. "We literally just had sex, Max. Do you seriously not know?" She pressed delicate kisses against Max's back.

"Well, sometimes it's a one-time thing," Max confessed, sighing. "It sounds stupid when I say it out loud." El rubbed Max's back, not realizing there were scars back there. When she bumped one, Max gasped, not expecting that.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Jane apologized instantly. Max chuckled nervously.

"It's alright, I promise." She tried to turn back to look at Jane but failed. "They're old scars anyway. Well... not that old, I guess." She shrugged it off. "It's fine now."

Jane shook her head, placing her chin on Max's collar bone. "It's really not, but if you don't want to talk about it, that's alright."

Max sighed, rubbing her eyes. "It was the day before I met all the guys for real. I was heading to the arcade because I hadn't seen one in years. They don't really keep old arcade machines out in California. Billy was driving me." Jane listened intently, rubbing small, calming circles on the small of Max's back. "He almost hit the guys, but instead of hitting them, he ran the car right into a concrete wall, smashing all the windows in. Glass and metal flew and shattered across the seats and the ground. Billy walked out of the whole situation perfectly fine while I almost died. By the time the EMTs showed up, I had lost way too much blood." Tears formed in Max's eyes, but she forced them back down. "I survived, though. Billy said he'd do it again and again until I actually did die, but he died before me."

"That's messed up," Jane comforted, wrapping her arms around Max's stomach. "I'm here for you."

"I know, and I'm so thankful for that." They touched noses, smiling idiotically.

"Thank you for telling me." Jane slipped out of bed to get them clothes to put on. "I'm glad you trust me with that."

"I don't have any reason not to," Max paused, kissing Jane before taking the shirt from her hand, "which is why I'm glad you're my first." Both girls got redressed and held hands as they exited the room. Hopper smirked, a knowing smile on his face. Jane paused in front of him, waiting for him to look at her.

"Yes, Jane?" Hopper acknowledged, looking at his daughter.

"Can I walk Max home? Her mom's back in town, and she's been asking Max where she's at." Hopper nodded, shooing the girls off. He chuckled to himself, planning on talking to Jane about what happened with the door closed just now when she got back.

Jane and Max walked hand in hand to Max's house, and they stopped when they stood on the sidewalk in front of the house. "Thank you," Max whispered, with her nose barely an inch from Jane's.

"For what?" Jane asked, tilting her head slightly.

"For not pushing me away, for taking the time to listen to me, for _caring_ about me." Max tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It really means a lot to me. It's been hard, but I'm glad I have you in my life.

Jane sealed the conversation with a kiss, leaving the two of them to part until school in the following days. The adjustment was difficult for all of their friends, but they all survived. That was the beginning of something quite beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> hey!! thanks for reading! the scene i was really worried about writing was the sex scene, so if that one isn't great, feel free to help me out with it! i'm trying to improve my skills and will appreciate any type of suggestion!


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